Project Phoenix, the Kickstarter-funded tactical JRPG from Creative Intelligence Arts, will likely feature between 50-60 hours of gameplay. Director Hiroaki Yura has explained some of the combat missions you’ll be completing during that time in a new interview.

Speaking with VG247 as part of an interview feature you can read in full soon, Yura said of the game’s running time, “We’re trying to aim for 50-60 hours of gameplay. We’re planning to have five-plus acts and we totally are looking for an ‘epic’ feel to the world with lots of colours and variations to it.”

He added that battles would be similar to those found in StarCraft but with several notable differences. He explained, “You get to customise and level your characters like any JRPG. We have a focus on squad based combat – not individual micromanagement although you are technically capable of using one character in a squad to control him/her. The characters will receive experience and increase levels if they survive the battle and receive loot. I won’t go through all of the difference, it may just take me forever.

He added on the controls, “It’s a simple point and click to move, the attack commands will be similar to a usual RTS. However, there will be stances in which your squad can choose from, basically a command which orders your character to act in a certain way like being aggressive, defensive or stealthy.

“Also, as with the recent combat update I’ve made, terrain plays a big role in the game and it will be represented accordingly by being able to manipulate the terrain to your tactical advantage/disadvantage. In the end, dependant on what mission, you will set you squad’s battle stance, figure out the best way to divide your men into squads and how you can manipulate the terrain to succeed in your mission.”

Battles will come with many objectives that deviate away from the simple ‘hit everything until it dies to win’ template. Yura explained, “Many of the missions will be like travel from point A to B without being killed, defend this area for X amount of time, help another person within X amount of time, kill this specific character. We haven’t thought of all the variations but we do already have a number of variations in mission design.”

Project Pheonix is the strategy-JRPG revival project from former Final Fantasy, Crysis 3, Diablo 3 and Halo 4 developers. It’s long-since funded on Kickstarter, but developer Creative Intelligence Arts has opened up PayPal funding tiers and rewards, should you wish to back it.

Project Phoenix is the new tactical RPG from Creative Intelligence Arts. VG247’s Dave Cook learns more about the studio’s blend of Eastern and Western philosophies, as well as Nobou Uematsu’s involvement.